Background

Small enterprises constitute the backbone of economic activity and employment in most countries. The role of small enterprises in society is therefore an area of great interest. Politicians, interest groups, professionals and others seek to support the development of small enterprises and to secure healthy working conditions. The scientific community has also taken an interest in this group of enterprises.

It seems that small enterprises are somewhat puzzling. The drive towards growth is resisted by many owners of small enterprises who are quite satisfied with being small. Health and safety policy interventions and regulations are often met with fierce resistance from small enterprises, although many of them have good and close relationships between owners and employees.

It is clear that small enterprises are not just large enterprises on a small scale. They are entities with different business conditions and their own workplace cultures. Around the world, scientific research understands this position, and it is the ambition of this conference to bring together researchers with an interest in the life and health of small enterprises and the people who spend their working lives there. We hope that interdisciplinary discussions will create new insights and new networks which can enrich future research into small enterprises.

Many small enterprises live with daily challenges that threaten their future. With limited management, manpower and financial resources, owners and managers have to fight on a daily basis for their survival. Resources for long-term business development and health and safety measures are difficult to find, even though improvements may benefit the business. Likewise, workers in small enterprises often see themselves as part of “the family”, feeling it is difficult to criticize hazardous working conditions. It is therefore a challenge to integrate health and safety perspectives in the daily operations in order to secure long-term survival and healthy jobs.

Over the years, many professionals have acquired valuable experience by reaching out to small enterprises with offers of assistance and advice. It is therefore a further ambition of this conference to bring together researchers and the many different professionals who have hands-on experience from small enterprises. In this way, we may be able to share and improve our understanding of small enterprises and those who work in them, and we may get better at reaching out to them. The goal is that efforts to improve business conditions become more successful, thereby improving the working life for this large group of employees.